#40 J.K. Rowling

Rowling, 40, is a media dynamo. Her Harry Potter books have sold a stunning 270 million copies in 62 languages worldwide. Her sixth installment of the Harry Potter blockbuster series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, sold a breathtaking 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours of release and is the largest-ever product debut on Amazon.com. Generating more than $100 million in revenue, her new book's debut is not only the richest opening in publishing history but also gave heart palpitations to the makers of the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which debuted the same weekend as the new book. This seven-year phenomenon is not letting up anytime soon, though Rowling has said the seventh installment will be her last. Harry Potter movies, with their antic capers of magic and wizardry at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, have grossed an impressive $2.5 billion to date, including DVDs.

Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2005, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2005, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva.